ver·te·brate  (vûr t ə-br ĭt, -br āt ′)
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adj.1. Having a backbone or spinal column. 2. Of or characteristic of vertebrates or a vertebrate. n. Any of numerous chordate animals of the subphylum Vertebrata, characterized by a segmented spinal column and a distinct well-differentiated head. The vertebrates include the fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
[Latin vertebrātus, having joints, from vertebra, vertebra; see VERTEBRA.] |
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